Written by: Dainty Clarice Rabang, UP RI Education Division
March 11, 2026 – The Philippine Preparedness Partnership (PhilPrep) and Tarlac State University (TSU) presented Project Talagháy’s river study and survey results to the Local Government of Tarlac at the Tarlac City Mayor’s Office to co‑create and implement painted river level markers along the Tarlac River. These markers will serve as a visible reference for early warning protocols for flood hazards in Tarlac City.
River as a Visible Warning System
Tarlac State University, a key PhilPrep partner in implementing Project Talagháy, shared the results of a detailed topographic survey conducted to understand the river profile and determine flood level thresholds for the Tarlac River along Ninoy Aquino Bridge. The proposed design for the painted flood markers is based on PAGASA’s manual gauging thresholds of 40%, 60%, and 80%, corresponding to yellow, orange, and red alert levels, respectively, to give communities and decision makers quick visual cues on changing river conditions.
In the spirit of multi‑sectoral collaboration, the City Government of Tarlac, through the City Engineering Office and with support from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, will provide resources for the painting of the markers. TSU has prepared a scale model of the design as the basis for painting, while PhilPrep will facilitate the activity, which features clear level markings and color indicators for improved river monitoring, as also emphasized by Mayor Susan Yap. This initiative further promotes and operationalizes multi‑stakeholder efforts for disaster risk reduction and management at the local level.
Tarlac State University leading local River Studies
Tarlac State University, whose campus is also near the Tarlac River and serves as one of the local state universities, has been actively engaged in the implementation of Project Talagháy. From January to March 2026, TSU’s Department of Civil Engineering and Center for Engineering and Environmental Research conducted a topographic survey along the Tarlac River. Faculty members and students surveyed five river cross‑sections to determine the cross‑sectional area and accurately establish flood thresholds based on the river’s current profile. The survey was conducted with the support of Tarlac CDRRMO, Tarlac City Environment and Natural Resources Office, and Bureau of Fire Protection.
This survey provides essential inputs for further studies on bridge structural stability, river dynamics, and hydrologic modelling along the Tarlac River, which are critical for Tarlac City and the infrastructure that connects its two parts.
From community narratives, to formalized protocols
The river painting builds on earlier Project Talagháy work that combines community knowledge and strengths with physical hazard assessments and the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, all to be integrated into community‑designed protocols. The painting of river markers signals the start of further integrating these protocols at the city level.
Originally, painted river markers were not part of the early warning system enhancement design. However, through the inputs of community members and the local government, the stakeholders co‑created a solution to strengthen river monitoring by installing markers and a CCTV camera. PhilPrep facilitates this effort, while local partners lead the on‑ground implementation. With the river markers in place, the next step—agreed with the Tarlac City DRRM Office—is to embed these physical thresholds into formal protocols for road closure, evacuation, and city‑wide alerts, and align them with sensor data and barangay‑level warning arrangements.
Multi-Level Partnership for Locally Led DRRM
Project Talagháy is PhilPrep’s first collaborative initiative focused on strengthening locally led early warning systems for floods and earthquakes in Tarlac City. PhilPrep brings together the Office of Civil Defense (government pillar), Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) (private sector pillar), Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) (civil society pillar), and the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) (academic pillar) in a multi‑sector partnership. This activity also marks the localization of these partnerships at the provincial, city, and barangay levels to ensure that similar co‑creation mechanisms are practiced locally.
The engagement underscores the importance of partnerships for resilience, as articulated in the National DRRM Plan, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Sendai Framework. By working toward a common goal, partners pool and complement their expertise to deliver more sustainable disaster resilience interventions.